Soulmates

“What does it mean by a sacrifice?” I ask, my voice barely more than a whisper. The word *sacrifice* lingers in my mind, heavy with the possibility of what it could entail. Nana’s eyes soften, but the worry in her expression doesn’t fade.

“I wish I knew, darling,” she says, her voice laced with concern. “Prophecies are often vague, and this one… well, it doesn’t offer many answers. Only time will reveal its true meaning.”

The idea of a sacrifice makes my chest tighten with anxiety. What could I be forced to give up? My thoughts swirl as I try to comprehend the weight of it all. I shake my head, focusing on what I can control. "Nana, do you have any idea where we could find the other half of the tablet?"

She sighs deeply, her eyes clouded with frustration. "No sweetie, all of the historians I encountered couldn’t point me in any direction. It’s been lost to time. The only being I can think of who might know would be the first fairy queen. She rules the Exi dimension."

"Exi dimension?" I ask, curious but already feeling a sense of foreboding.

Nana nods, her face growing more serious. "Yes. It’s a realm where the first beings of magic were said to reside. But there’s no proof the first fairy queen still exists. She’s become more of a myth, a figure in ancient legends from the time of creation. And no one knows if it's even possible to travel there anymore."

Great. A dead end.

I bite my lip, trying to process it all. A missing tablet, a queen who may or may not exist in a dimension no one can reach. I don’t even know where to begin. But I can’t help the growing curiosity inside me. Maybe understanding my lineage will help me grasp more of this.

“Nana, what number fairy queen is my mother?”

Nana looks at me, a soft smile playing on her lips. “Your mother is the 12th fairy queen, darling. You will be the 13th.” She pauses, and I see a flicker of pride in her eyes before she continues. “Usually, a fairy queen waits hundreds of years before she can claim her chosen mate—a fairy male with a strong enough seed to penetrate the queen’s diamond egg.”

The phrase *diamond egg* strikes me as strange and otherworldly, but Nana speaks of it like it’s an ordinary fact of life. I nod, eager for more.

“Your mother,” Nana continues, her voice lowering slightly, “was the first queen to become the soulmate of a different species. Your father actually found her first.”

I blink, stunned. “He found her?”

Nana nods. “Yes, you see, with werewolves, they are born with one true soulmate. After they turn for the first time, their inner wolf begins the hunt for that soulmate. Your father… well, he ripped through dimensions to find your mother.”

I gasp, completely taken aback. “Werewolves can travel through dimensions?”

She shakes her head, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Most cannot, darling. But your father is not just any werewolf—he’s an alpha king.”

*An alpha king.* I’ve heard the title before, but I never truly understood what it meant. Nana’s voice grows more intense as she explains. “An alpha king’s connection to his soulmate is stronger than anything else in this world. If an alpha can’t find their soulmate, they grow weaker and weaker until they die. Your father would have torn the universe apart to find your mother.”

The weight of her words hits me like a blow to the chest. I’ve never imagined a love so powerful, so all-consuming. "And what if..." I hesitate, afraid to ask. "What if something happens to their soulmate?"

Nana’s expression darkens. “If an alpha’s soulmate dies after being marked, the alpha will die too. There is no second option. Their fates are intertwined, eternally linked. The only exception is if the soulmate dies *before* being marked. In that case, the alpha can live on, but only as a regular werewolf with the ability to take a chosen mate.”

I feel an ache in my heart hearing this. The soulmate bond must be something beyond anything I’ve ever experienced or imagined. It’s no wonder my father crossed worlds to find my mother.

Nana watches me carefully, her face softening. “The bond between soulmates is sacred, Lenora. It’s the deepest connection a being can have. But it’s also a great responsibility.”

I lower my gaze, feeling the weight of her words. *A responsibility.* That word again. It feels like everything in my life is suddenly about destiny and duty, about choices I never even knew I had to make.

But one thing is clear—I have to understand this prophecy. I need to find the missing half of the tablet, even if it means chasing a myth through dimensions.